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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24714625">OPERATION: DON'T WAKE DAD</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/qr_code/pseuds/qr_code'>qr_code</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Half Life VR But The AI Is Self Aware</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Domestic, Hijinks, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 00:34:36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,054</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24714625</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/qr_code/pseuds/qr_code</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Benrey isn't ragequitting. He's -- he's just gotta take his buddy (buddy?) to bed. Obviously.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Benrey/Gordon Freeman</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>558</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>OPERATION: DON'T WAKE DAD</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>i was replaying mgs3 and was hit with inspiration like a speeding truck</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>"SNAKE IS DEAD."</em>
</p><p> </p><p>1:00 AM. The words flashed across the screen in the dark of the living room, illuminating Benrey's face and signaling his failure.</p><p> </p><p>Fuck. Fuck this shitty damn game, fuck Hideo Kojima and whatever that guy had going on in his head, and fuck Solid Snake. Wait. Naked Snake. Either way, fuck Snake.</p><p> </p><p>Slowly, the words faded, replacing themselves with,</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>"TIME PARADOX."</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Fuck time paradoxes, too. Especially time paradoxes. What kind of fucking idiot would write about time? Time paradoxes, time loops, time breaking. All real idiot shit.</p><p> </p><p>This was Benrey's seventh attempt. Seventh. Not because of him, of course. No, his epic gamer skills were practically unimaginable. He could beat near fucking any game. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater was just a stupid idiot baby outdated game that must have detected that he was far too cool to be playing such a lame video game and the universe was just trying to do him a solid and get him to move on.</p><p> </p><p>Going to the game options, Benrey selected the difficulty. He was just doing himself a favour, making sure he wasn't wasting any more time than necessary on this shit. Obviously.</p><p> </p><p>"Uh," He grumbled.</p><p> </p><p>The game difficulty was already on 'Very Easy'.</p><p> </p><p>This was an insult. A slap to the face. Fuck this.</p><p> </p><p>Raising his hand, Benrey brought up the control over his head, fully ready to throw it down as hard as possible, but stopped himself midair when he remembered something very important -- something that, as most things do in his memory, slipped his mind.</p><p> </p><p>Gordon was clonked out on the couch next to him, knees pulled to his chest and head propped up on Benrey's leg.</p><p> </p><p>So much for his awesome rage quit.</p><p> </p><p>Benrey did a lot of things that were questionable, a lot of things that, if you asked the average person, they'd definitely say his actions were pretty damn mean-spirited.</p><p> </p><p>But Benrey wasn't... <em>cruel</em>. Most of the time. He was just looking for kicks.</p><p> </p><p>And, if he were to be honest, he didn't really think waking up Gordon would be fun. In fact, the thought made his stomach (or, rather, the organ that was similar to a stomach but slightly off, considering his questionably inhuman biology) toss. That was new.</p><p> </p><p>The dude, his bro, his homie, hadn't slept in a hot minute. Every time that Gordon would lay down, Benrey would just catch him blankly staring at the ceiling or the photographs on his walls (all of Joshua and an elderly woman Benrey didn't know), resting for maybe twenty minutes before his limbs seemed to get restless - legs bouncing, left hand fiddling with the fabric that covered his stump.</p><p> </p><p>Benrey now knew this wasn't normal human behavior.</p><p> </p><p>(He had asked. Thanks, Tommy, for answering all of his burning questions. He should really write a book, maybe titled, "<em>What's Wrong With My Human?: For Dummies Edition</em>".)</p><p> </p><p>After Gordon had spent ample time gazing upon his Albert Einstein poster, he'd sit back up in bed, reattach his prosthetic, then go do what Bubby had accurately titled 'Dad Shit'.</p><p> </p><p>Y'know, mowing the grass for the fourth time, fixing the fence and repainting it whatever color Joshua requested, finalizing his banana pancake recipe, rewriting his Ph.D. thesis for some godforsaken reason. He was antsy. Visibly so. Maybe, if Benrey were to be retrospective for once in his life, Gordon was trying to escape something, something that came to mind when he was at rest.</p><p> </p><p>But Benrey wasn't very retrospective. So, he described Gordon's issue as <em>'Gordos Mind Pwnage'</em>.</p><p> </p><p>Tommy said that was rude and that Gordon really needed to see a therapist. What the hell is a therapist?</p><p> </p><p>But now he was drooling on Benrey's sweatpants, glasses knocked off and hair mussed.</p><p> </p><p>That... the couch was kinda small, and Gordon was pretty big, even when he balled himself up while sleeping. Didn't humans usually need more room than that? Benrey could already imagine Gordon accidentally toppling off the side.</p><p> </p><p>He suppressed a snicker at the thought.</p><p> </p><p>But, still. Benrey wanted to let Gordon sleep. The little couch was an issue.</p><p> </p><p>When Benrey wanted something, he'd remove all issues.</p><p> </p><p>So, with a surprisingly gentle hold, the guard heaved up his sleeping roommate, holding him like a koala, legs around his waist, head slumped onto his shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>Fuck, Gordon wasn't this heavy in Black Mesa. The removal of his godmode commands was a real pain in the ass.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>"Chief Boper! Fulton all captives to a safe area!"</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Benrey put a hand to his ear, mimicking an earpiece.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>"Hrngh... On it, Major."</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Operation Start: Don't Wake Gordon!!</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Curling his arms around Gordon again, Benrey boosted him up a bit more where he had slipped down. The sleeping man whined at the jostle, but otherwise only tucked his head against his hoodie before returning back to sleep. Good, good. He couldn't be seen failing missions right when they started.</p><p> </p><p>He checked his mental map of the stage.</p><p> </p><p>Across the living room, through the kitchen, down the hall, up the stairs, down <em>another</em> hall, then to the left.</p><p> </p><p>Easy. Easy as fucking pie. Easy as 'Very Easy' mode on MGS3.</p><p> </p><p>Benrey traversed the living room swiftly, already knowing where the couch and coffee table started and ended even in the dark. Fuck yeah, first stage down.</p><p> </p><p>Walking up to the barrier of the kitchen, he paused. There was no save! He couldn't call Paramedic here... Dear god, this had to be a no-hit run!</p><p> </p><p>Keep pushing forth, Boss! You've got to save the... the romantic interest? He's in danger of reverting back to a fucked up sleep schedule, and only you can save him! Willpower renewed, Benrey stepped forth...</p><p> </p><p>And tripped over one of Joshua's toy cowboys, only narrowly catching himself before kicking the toy against the stove with a sharp '<em>THUMP'</em>.</p><p> </p><p><em>"Ah, cringe."</em> He whispered through gritted teeth. He took another, more careful step, and...</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Fuck! Another cowboy! Was this a goddamn minefield! The toy shot out from the weight of his Crocs, hitting the stove with another crash.</p><p> </p><p>Gordon shifted in his arms and he froze, one foot still in the air. Quicktime event! Softly, careful not to jolt him awake, Benrey petted the back of his ugly-ass dad sweater. Within no time, his breath evened out. Nice job, Boss.</p><p> </p><p>"... <em>Daddy</em>?" Called a quiet voice from the doorway. Shit.</p><p> </p><p>"Uh," Benrey started, turning to face the boy.</p><p> </p><p>Joshua gasped. "<em>Dad</em>! Is -- is he dead or something?!"</p><p> </p><p>Too loud, too loud! No father would sleep through the shouts of their child! Benrey rose a hand and shushed Josh.</p><p> </p><p>"Sleeping. 'S sleeeeping," He said, then a lightbulb illuminated in Benrey's mind. "... Say, pipsqueak, do y' wanna... help me out on a top-secret mission?"</p><p> </p><p>Though it was dark and he couldn't quite see the child's eyes, Benrey could practically see them gleam at the offer, nodding fast.</p><p> </p><p>"Ok. So. You are... Major Zero. You're cool and British."</p><p> </p><p>"I don't think that makes you cool, Ben? My teacher says --"</p><p> </p><p>Benrey raised a hand. "No, no. You're super-duper cool and epic 'cause you, like... tell the player info. Get it? Like, I'm the player in this case, cause I gotta complete the mission."</p><p> </p><p>Josh nodded again.</p><p> </p><p>"Ok, so. I need you to, like, scout ahead. Remove obstacles. Get it?"</p><p> </p><p>Josh nodded once more.</p><p> </p><p>"Okay, epic job listening, little dude. Get goin'."</p><p> </p><p>Little footsteps echoed through the house as Joshua sped off through the kitchen, picking up toys at a speed he never reached when Gordon asked him to clean up after himself. Maybe Benrey and the little guy had something in common, then -- both did better at tasks when they're games.</p><p> </p><p>"Okay, Benny, I gottem all... They're gone!"</p><p> </p><p>Benrey took a cautious step forward, and sure enough, the minefield was cleared. He rose his hand to his mock-earpiece again, saying, "Epic job, Major."</p><p> </p><p>Joshua caught on quick, mimicking the movement. "Okay, Benny, we gotta... we gotta go down the hall now. Remember -- the display case thingy's in there! Over."</p><p> </p><p>Yeah, sure enough, there was the display case, filled to the brim with frames photos of Joshua's art projects, more photos of that old woman Benrey didn't recognize, and a singular photo of the three of them, Gordon, Benrey, and Joshua, at the park. Coomer had taken it on his phone, and almost immediately Gordon asked if he could save it. And by save it, he meant email it to his computer so he could print it out like a little weirdo.</p><p> </p><p>Despite just calling him a weirdo a second ago, the picture made Benrey feel... odd. Made him feel a good. Odd. Made him feel like spitting up a certain few shades of olive and lily.</p><p> </p><p>He didn't, of course. The bright colours shining would probably have woken Gordon up, and that was the last thing he wanted.</p><p> </p><p>So, considering the position of the furniture, Benrey smudged himself against the wall, deftly sneaking through the short hall. Stage two, down.</p><p> </p><p>Behind him, he heard shuffling. Rats? Oh, god, Gordon would flip his shit if it was rats. Probably would spend days cleaning the entire house in a manic spree if it was rats. Dude, why not just... live with the rats? Symbiosis, bro... Uh.</p><p> </p><p>Something bumped against his leg and Benrey stumbled back. That's a big fucking rat.</p><p> </p><p>"Benny... look. I'm sneaking."</p><p> </p><p>Ah. Sure enough, Joshua had fit himself into one of the boxes nearby the kitchen trash, scurrying down the hall encased in cardboard. Man, he was getting a hang of this quick. Maybe he could convince Gordon to let Josh become, like, a top-secret agent one day.</p><p> </p><p>Nah. Gordon fucking <em>hated</em> the government. He'd never let that happen.</p><p> </p><p>As they reached the end of the hall, Joshua sprung out of the box, swinging around finger guns. A real legendary soldier, this kid.</p><p> </p><p>Three levels left. Next, the stairs.</p><p> </p><p>Stairs. A simple concept at first, but they were bound to be his biggest challenge -- Gordon was heavy. Gordon added extra weight that Benrey was not used to carrying. Therefore, Benrey's balance was off. And, as everyone knew, balance was imperative to the art of climbing stairs.</p><p> </p><p>"Okay, Major," Benrey started, pausing a moment before remembering to raise his hand to his ear. "I'm gonna need you to clear the way again -- go right on up there, yeah. Uh. Over."</p><p> </p><p>Joshua nodded, scurrying up the steps on all fours like a little goblin or something. The kid was bonkers. Benrey loved that bonkers little weirdo. Not that he was ready to say that out loud, though.</p><p> </p><p>A pause, then Josh whispered, "All clear! Over!"</p><p> </p><p>Okay, Benrey, one foot in front of the other, don't shake Gordon. You got this. Simple.</p><p> </p><p>Joshua gestured him to step forward with his arms like a traffic officer, causing Benrey to chuckle under his breath. What a cute kid...</p><p> </p><p>Four more steps. Easy.</p><p> </p><p>Man, Josh was just such a fucking sweetheart. He never caused issues, or, at least, not on purpose. The only thing that Benrey had to get used to was the fact that Joshua liked things in a very, very specific way. Picky child. It wasn't his fault, though. Gordon never really encouraged him to go outside his comfort zone -- a real pushover, knowing exactly how Josh like his Mac and Cheese (more butter than even Benrey could eat) and never really putting up a fight when he asked to stay home from school.</p><p> </p><p>Two more steps.</p><p> </p><p>Joshua needed -- Joshua needed a fun parent, Benrey thought. A contrast to Gordon. Sure, Gordon was a fantastic father, despite the man's worrying otherwise, but he was only one person. The stress visibly affected him, always wondering if Joshua was happy, if he was safe, Joshua Joshua Joshua. Someone else could... maybe take over for a while. Take the steering wheel. Maybe... maybe he could do that? Was Benrey thinking about being Joshua's fun parent? Being a parental figure? With Gordon? Oh boy. He totally was. Cringe...</p><p> </p><p>As Benrey finally reached the top step, he saw Josh reaching out to him. Adorable. Gosh. He really did enjoy their little... family thing. Their dynamic. It was nice -- made him want to stay.</p><p> </p><p>He wanted to stay. Benrey removed an arm from Gordon, holding Joshua's little hand.</p><p> </p><p>"Hey, buddy."</p><p> </p><p>In a second, Joshua's face changed.</p><p> </p><p>"'M <em>not</em> your buddy! Major! I'm <em>Major</em>!" He shouted.</p><p> </p><p>Whoops.</p><p> </p><p>With a combination of Joshua's sudden shouting and his loosened grip on Gordon, Benrey just kinda... slipped up.</p><p> </p><p>... And he dropped him. Whoopsie-daisy.</p><p> </p><p>Benrey and Joshua froze, watching the form tumble down the stairs, sliding to a stop on the hardwood floor. Benrey winced as something hard clattered against the floor, away from Gordon. His prosthetic, no doubt.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Mission Failed. Game Over.<br/>
</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Through the darkness, they could see Gordon gasp, raising his head and swinging his arm in the darkness.</p><p> </p><p>"My glasses -- where are my glasses, I can't see without my glasses --"</p><p> </p><p>"Bro." Benrey raised his hands, slowly stepping down to Gordon's position.</p><p> </p><p>"<em>Guh</em>, <em>Benrey</em>," He stuttered, words quick and sharp. "Get away from me."</p><p> </p><p>Benrey ignored the command, continuing to approach his rapidly panicking roommate. "Broooo, it's cool."</p><p> </p><p>"I <em>said</em>, get the <em>fuck</em> away from me! I can't <em>fucking</em> see you!" Gordon slammed his hand down on the floor -- an intimidation tactic. His breath was fast, short gasps. This wasn't good, and Benrey knew it wasn't good.</p><p> </p><p>"Daddy?"</p><p> </p><p>Joshua. Joshua was still standing at the top of the stairs. Immediately, Benrey could see Gordon still in the night.</p><p> </p><p>"Josh?"</p><p> </p><p>"Dad, don't yell at Ben, please!" The kid begged, running down the stairs to his father's side. "He was helping, I swear!"</p><p> </p><p>Gordon paused, holding Joshua's hand once he ran to his side. "Oh." He sighed, stumbling to his feet, reaching for the light switch with a shaky hand.</p><p> </p><p>Once the hallway light was clicked on, Benrey could see his frazzled expression, messy hair, missing arm and glasses. Without a doubt, Gordon was still blind as a bat, only navigating from the shapes of his environment. Not a good idea, he thought.</p><p> </p><p>"So, does anyone want to explain to me what's going on here?" He put his fist on his hip, trying his best to do a scary dad pose.</p><p> </p><p>Benrey fumbled for words, trying to explain in a way that didn't make him sound like a weirdo. I was roleplaying as a video game character with your sleeping body? No.</p><p> </p><p>"I. Uh. Was..."</p><p> </p><p>Joshua piped up, grabbing at Gordon's shirt. "He was gonna put you in your bed, Dad! He was being good!"</p><p> </p><p>'Good'? He wasn't a <em>dog</em>, for Pete's sake. Of course, maybe he deserved that, considering most of the time he wasn't, in fact, being anywhere close to 'good'.</p><p> </p><p>Gordon nodded, rubbing at his eyes. "Is that true, Ben?"</p><p> </p><p>"Mhm. Had -- had an epic fail compilation at the end, though."</p><p> </p><p>Another sage nod, then Gordon slumped forward with a sigh. Benrey hopped down the stairs to join the two.</p><p> </p><p>"Uh, d'ya think can you still sleep?" He asked. It was worth a try. Maybe this mission was still salvageable.</p><p> </p><p>"Mmm," With his good arm, Gordon lifted Joshua up and threw the child over his shoulder, Josh laughing in glee. "Sleep time. Benrey, since I can't see for absolute shit right now and it's technically your fault, can you, like, guide me to the bedroom?"</p><p> </p><p>"Woow. Take me to dinner first."</p><p> </p><p>Even without his glasses and the disheveled appearance, Gordon seemed to shift to anger in no time flat.</p><p> </p><p>"Shut the fuck -- <em>fudge</em> up. It is <em>so</em> far past Joshua's bedtime, and for christ's sake, we <em>literally</em> live together. Show me where the fucking bedroom is. Fudging."</p><p> </p><p>Benrey laughed, grabbing Gordon's other sleeve and using it to guide him up the stairs and down the hall. His mission was far easier now that he was, y' know, awake.</p><p> </p><p>Once they passed through the barrier of Gordon's bedroom, the father lifted an arm and tossed the giggling child onto the bed. <em>Fuck</em>, Benrey thought as he watched Joshua plead for Gordon to throw him again,<em> this is cute.</em></p><p> </p><p>Another sigh came from Gordon as he stretched his arms, then turned to Benrey, a questioning look in his eye. "So. You woke me up, right?"</p><p> </p><p>Benrey rolled his eyes. "I <em>guess</em> you could say that."</p><p> </p><p>Then, after a moment of hesitation, Gordon wrapped his arm around Benrey's torso, heaving him a little ways up and throwing him (though it was more of a powerful shove, considering the singular arm), on to the bed next to Joshua.</p><p> </p><p>Benrey sat there in shock, still bouncing slightly, and Gordon climbed past him and next to Joshua, turning off the lamp. Sleep time. Alright.</p><p> </p><p>Josh's giggles died down, the child settling himself next to his father, Gordon already curling in onto himself, tucking his knees against his chest. For not the first time that night, Benrey found himself wanting to spit out some olive and lily colour, but knew the sound would startle his... family? Huh. Weird.</p><p> </p><p>He laid down, facing Gordon's back.</p><p> </p><p>"So. How'd the video game go?" Gordon mumbled, voice muffled by the blanket.</p><p> </p><p>"Fucking fantastic," Benrey said, then brought his hand to his mouth in a classic Solid Snake impression. "Hrrngh, Colonel, I've got an epic gamer moment for the history books here, any recommended actions to take?"</p><p> </p><p>Gordon let out a startled laugh, reaching behind him and weakly slapping Benrey's leg. "Mr. Snake, shhhh."</p><p> </p><p>"Hrrrngh. Colonel, I'm getting a strange message from an unknown frequency -- it says, 'I'm sorry for dropping you down the stairs.'"</p><p> </p><p>"Shhhhush, c'mon, c'mon. Sleep time." Despite this claim, Gordon took another moment before all of his chuckles died out.</p><p> </p><p>Benrey watched as the man in front of him began to still with another weird feeling in his stomach. It wasn't, like, a vomiting feeling. It was something warmer. No, not warm like vomit. A metaphorical warm.</p><p> </p><p>He wasn't sure why, but he found himself shifting forward, wrapping an arm around Gordon's side and slotting a leg against his. Joshua, on the other side, curled up tucked against his father's front. It was warm. It was good. It felt right.</p><p> </p><p>Just as Benrey drifted off to sleep, one last coherent thought rose above the others.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>"MISSION COMPLETE. CODENAME: CHICKEN. RANK: S."</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Great job, Snake.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>im trying to get myself used to writing fluffy / romantic interactions ahead of time bc that's what's next for daisy daisy. here's hoping this helps lmao</p></blockquote></div></div>
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